Legend of Zelda: Twilight Prince
by Ryuu-Kitsune-Onna1
Summary: Like the story you all know from the video game, except the roles of Midna and Link have been reversed. No more words necessary. Hope you all like it! Re-uploaded chapter two. Thanks to HolyRiot11 for getting me back on track.
1. Chapter 1

At the light spirit spring in the Faron Province, a man and a woman sat at the water's edge, a horse not far off with, what seemed like firewood, on it's back. It was quiet as the sun slipped down beyond the horizon, turning the sky and everything around into a golden orange color. Breaking the silence, the man, named Rusl, commented, "Tell me... Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk fall?" The woman raised an eyebrow at Rusl as he continued. "They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs... The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of the spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..." Shaking his head, he thought it best to change the subject. "But enough talk of sadness... I have a favor to ask of you, Midna."

At this, the woman, now identified as Midna, turned her head to look at him, her orange eyes boring into his. "What is it, Rusl?" she asked in a questioning voice. Midna was described as an ordinary Hylian. She sported pointed ears, a common trait of all humans of Hyrule. She also had shortish orange hair that reached her shoulder blades, the two front locks bound at the ends by a metal band, coming together at her chest. Her clothing was simple; a teal tunic with black trim around the collar and cuffs and a black skirt cut to her knees, the rest of its length a see-through fabric. She wore on shoes on her feet. Her accessories were a silver ring on her right hand, a silver anklet on the opposite foot, and a metal belt polished to look like gold with semi-precious stones dangling all around its length.

Once the older male got her attention, he continued. "I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow... Yes, it was a task appointed to me by the mayor, but... Would you go in my stead?"

When he said this, Midna couldn't help but look at him strangely, yet on the inside, she perked up slightly. "Wait. Me? Why?"

"You have... Never been to Hyrule, right?" Rusl commented, already knowing the answer.

Shaking her head, she replied in an obvious voice, "No."

He smiled all knowingly before continuing. "In the kingdom of Hyrule, there is a great castle, and around it is the Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village... And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created. You should look upon it all with your own eyes."

Midna couldn't help but smile at her friend's thoughtfulness before nodding to his earlier question. "Alright, I'll go. Thanks, Rusl."

Nodding in satisfaction, Rusl looked up at the sky before getting up. "It's getting late... We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter." Without another word, he started walking away. Getting up, Midna started following him after brushing off the dirt on her bottom. Untying her horses reins, she went after Rusl, her faithful horse, named Epona, right by her side. Once they both caught up to the only swordsman of the village, they were at the bridge that separates the Ordon Province from the Faron Province. When all three had crossed the bridge, Rusl closed and locked the gate for the night before continuing back to the village. Lucky for Midna, her house was that far from the bridge. Rusl bid his good-nights before turning to leave, his pregnant wife, named Uli, and his oldest son, Colin, waiting for him. Ruffling his son's hair affectionately, the family started to leave after Colin waved good-bye to Midna. Said orange-haired youth smiled and chuckled at her friends antics before tying Epona's reins to a tree and climbing up the ladder into her house.

A few minutes later, a girl came by Midna's house and untied Epona to lead her back where she came seconds before a man, by the name of Fado, came jogging to shout, "Hey, Midna! You there?"

Poking her head out the uppermost window, Midna called back. "Fado, what is it?"

"Would you mind helpin' me herd the goats? They ain't listenin' to me lately!" the farmer shouted back up desperately.

Sighing a little, she replied before ducking her head back inside, "Alright, I'll be down in a minute!"

As he waited, Fado noticed something missing; his farmhand's horse. Looking around a bit, he asked himself, "Hey, where's Epona?"

Once Midna came out, she also noticed her precious animal friend missing. Sighing patiently, she calmly climbed down the ladder before retracing her steps till she came to a spring. There, she found her little "horse thief". It was just Ilia, one of her best friends in the village. As she walked up to stroke Epona's muzzle, the other noticed Midna out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she smiled warmly at her friend. "Oh, hi, Midna. I washed Epona for you!"

Midna looked at her friend in surprise before smiling at her. "Thank you, Ilia. But, you know you didn't have to do that. She's probably going to get dirty again soon. Fado needs help herding his goats again."

"Nonsense!" her blond friend argued. "Epona is a girl just like us, so you should treat her nice like one. Oh, but listen, Midna... Could you do something for me?"

The orange-haired farmhand raised an eyebrow at her. "What's up?"

"Can you use a piece of grass to play that song for me? You know, the one that Epona likes?"

Midna couldn't help but chuckle at Ilia's innocent request. "Sure." Walking up to a patch of horseshoe-shaped grass next to the spring, she bent down to pick one and blew into it. Instantly, a high-pitched tune filled the air, causing Epona to neigh in delight.

"It's such a nice melody... Epona looks happy." Ilia sighed dreamily before shaking herself back to reality. "Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her back. But don't make her do too much, Okay?"

"Fine. I'll try." Midna said, trying to hide her annoyance as she mounts Epona. One she was properly situated on her horse, she rode to Fado's ranch. On her way up, she got stopped by mayor Bo, Ilia's father.

"Oh, Midna. Are you going to help Fado on the ranch?"

"That I am."

"Good job. Try to finish up before the sun sets."

"Will do, sir." With these words said, she continued on her way to the ranch. Once there, she spotted Fado and rode up to him. "I made it. Sorry that took so long."

"Oh, that's fine. I'm the one who's sorry for getting you over here in such a hurry. These guys have been awfully skittish lately. They won't listen to a word I say. So, will you...?"

"Of course, my friend." Midna interrupted him, knowing what he was going to ask her.

"You're a lifesaver, Midna. I owe you one." Once Fado ran to the side where he wouldn't get in the way, Midna urged her horse into a canter and ran to the nearest clutch of goats, whooping at them to run. Every so often, a goat would get angry and charge at her, but thankfully, that didn't happen this time, so she was able to wrap up quickly, getting all ten goats int the barn. Once finished, she strolled over her boss. "Midna, Epona... Much obliged to both of y'all!"

"I was happy to help." She replied casually.

"I can cover everythin' without havin' to trouble you, so just sit back an' relax, bud." At Midna's nod, Fado was about to walk away, but then thought of something. "Oh... But, uh, how 'bout today? Wanna practice with the fences?"

Thinking for a moment, Midna nodded again. "Sure, why not?"

"Just wait a spell, then. I'll get them fences set up." And with that, he went to set up some fences for jumping practice. After about forty minutes, Fado said to Midna breathlessly, "Hoo. Sorry that took so long! Okay, then! Y'all ride all you want. Y'all get tired of ridin', just jump the gate an' head back int the village."

"Alright. Take it easy, buddy." After about fifteen minutes of jumping, it was dusk. Jumping over the exit gate, Midna went home to rest for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

It was morning now as Midna looked out the uppermost window of her house. As her head turned this way and that, she spotted three children of the village. "Hey, wake up, Midna! It's morning now!" One, a boy, shouted. Sighing, she thought it better to go outside and see what they wanted.

Climbing down two rows of ladders, she opened the door and jumped down from the ledge to approach the group of kids. The boy who shouted up to him was Talo, the youngest boy was Malo, and the oldest, a girl, was Beth. "What's up, you three?"

"Oh, Midna! Didja hear?" Talo said excitedly. "They're selling a slingshot at the store right now! A SLINGSHOT!"

"I wonder how powerful it is..." Malo said in a small voice. "I... I need... I must try it..."

Beth rolled her eyes at the two boys before interjecting in an annoyed tone, "Talo, if you and Malo want it so bad, just buy it at my parents shop!"

"Do you see any Rupees in my hand? A can't afford that thing!" Talo complained, holding out his empty hands to emphasizes his point. "C'mon, Beth, can't you just loan it to us for a while?"

"You know I'd get in trouble for that!" the eldest said in an obvious and somewhat angry tone. "If you two want it, save up your allowances or something."

"But... Our allowances are terrible..." Malo whined in his small voice, mostly so Beth won't hear him. "Aww, I wish I was born into a family with a slingshot instead of one with a waterwheel..."

Midna shook her head with a smile. It was relatively easy to find Rupees in the grass and under rocks. People these days were careless with their money. Walking away from the the group of children, she noticed Colin standing in front of Epona. When she was right behind him, she tapped on his shoulder, causing him to gasp a little in surprise before turning around. She couldn't help but smile at him and wave. "Hello, Mr. Daydreamer."

"Oh. Hi, Midna... You have the day off work today, right?" At her nod, he got a little hopeful. "So... I finished the fishing rod I was making"

"Fishing rod..." Midna mumbled to herself before remembering what he was talking about. "Oh, yeah. The one you and your dad were making so we could fish together"

"Yeah. I figured that I'd give it to you first thing in the morning. But... My dad said, 'You just wait until Midna comes and gets it!' So, I didn't bring it..."

Ruffling his hair like his father does, the orange-haired farmhand couldn't help but smile at him. "Don't worry about it. I'll stop by your house and get it. I promise." At Colin's smile, she walked of, feeling around in the grass for Rupees. She didn't find much; only about two or three. She already had fifteen in her wallet now, so it's not a total loss. But she thought that she might as well head to the store to see how much that slingshot was worth. Before she could get to the store, though, she saw Sera's husband, Hanch, staring up at the tree Fado's house was built at it's roots.

"Morning, Hanch." Midna greeted. "How are you?"

Said man turned to the carrot-top farmhand. "Well, hey, 'morning, Midna. Got a day off of work today, m'dear?"

"Yes, I do." She affirmed with a nod. "Not you, though?"

"Nope" was his dishearted reply. "The wife's been hassling me... Today's the day we restock the store."

Midna winced at this. "You have my sympathies, good sir."

Hanch nodded before looking back up at the uppermost branches of the tree. "Look! See that? Up in that tree?"

Midna had to shield her eyes from the glaring eastward sun to see what he's indicating. "It's a beehive."

A sigh issued from the one she was talking to. "Yeah, some Ordon bees built themselves a fine nest up there... I was thinking about knocking it down..."

An expectant nod came from the woman. "And?"

"Our cat hasn't come home since yesterday, so the wife's been in a bad mood. At the very least, I need to bring something home to her."

Midna nodded in response, glanced back up at the beehive, and left to continue her way to the shop. But when Hanch says that Sera is in a bad mood, it usually means that she will get nowhere fast. Sure enough, when she entered the shop, she could tell that Sera wasn't in the mood to sell her wares. Walking up to her, the shopkeeper sighed. "Ohhhh..."

"Um... Excuse me...?" Midna started, even thought she knew it was useless.

"Awww..." Sera continued to mope, as though she didn't even hear her.

"Hey, Sera. Are you okay?" Midna tried again, hoping she wouldn't get ignored.

Finally, the shopkeeper looked at the orange-haired youth out of the corner of her eye. "...Oh, my... It's young Midna... Welcome, m'dear. You... You didn't happen to see my little cat out there, did you?"

Thinking for a moment, the youth shook her head. "Not that I can think of..."

"He ate the fish we were going to have for supper last night, and I gave him a good scolding... But then he went out and hasn't returned..."

"I sure hope that cat's alright..." Midna said to herself.

"Me too. I'm so fraught with worry for him... I've exhausted myself..." Sighing to herself, Midna left the shop. Sera obviously wasn't going to sell her that slingshot while that cat was missing.

As she thought, she started walking along the edge of the small lake. She nearly fell into the water when someone called to her. "Hey, Midna!"

Placing a hand n her chest, she glared up at the one who startled her. It was Talo and Malo's father, Jaggle. "Don't do that again, Jaggle! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Yeah! You're voice carries well, as usual! Think you can teach the tykes how to talk from a distance?" He replied casually, not affected by the youth's yelling.

"You'd better have a good explanation for wasting my time, old man!" Midna shouted angrily.

"Whoa! Ease! I'm gettin' there! Climb up those vines and I'll show you."

Sighing in annoyance, she grabbed onto the vines on the rock and climbed up to the top. "What is it?"

Pointing to the opposite side of the river, he spoke, making sure to chose his words carefully, "Check this out... You know Sera, at the general store? Well, isn't that her cat over there?" Looking over to where he was pointing, she couldn't help but smirk. Sure enough, Sera's cat was standing at the water's edge, looking into the pond. "He's just been sitting there next to my house, having a staring contest with the creek. You don't suppose he's gonna catch a fish, do you? Ha ha ha! A cat can't catch no fish!"

"Well, isn't **that** a double negative?" Midna couldn't help but point out dryly.

Clearing his throat, he changed the subject, "Anyway, that's not what I was meaning to tell you about. I want you to take a look at something..."

"Get on with it while we're still young, then." she said sort of impatiently.

Suppressing a glare, he nodded to the rock platform to his left. "See that grass growing over there? Haven't I seen you whistling with that stuff? I figured it was pretty rare to see it growing in a place like that, so I thought I'd let you know."

"Alright, I'll check it out. Thanks, Jaggle." Jumping to the platform with the grass, she looked around a bit before noticing that the bee's nest was close by. Bending down to pick one of the bird-shaped grasses, she blew on it. When she did this, a tune was played, causing a hawk to fly down and landed on her outstretched hand. Turning to the nest, she whispered to the hawk before letting it go. It hit the hive dead on, causing it to fall to the ground and smash to pieces. Just as she was about to jump down, she noticed Uli standing on the edge of the creek.

_'I'll talk to her later.'_ she thought to herself before jumping behind Hanch. He turned to her with an amazed expression in his eyes. "Midna, I saw what you did there... With the grass... I never thought that that hawk would listen to anyone."

"It listens to anyone who blows the grass."

"I will keep that in mind for later. Thanks."

Giving him her 'don't mention it' wave, she then turned her attention to Uli, only for something to catch her eye (A/N: Easily distracted! XD). It was a yellow and blue Rupee sitting up on the tree branches above where the nest hung. Eureka! She needed another twelve for the slingshot (she saw the price before she left). Then, she realized that there were more important things than the money. Shaking her head to get her thoughts sorted out, she approached Colin's mother. "Good morning, Uli."

Jolting a little in surprise, she turned to Midna and smiled. "Oh, um, good morning to you. My husband took his sword and left early. But I must ask, Midna... You have not seen a cradle come floating by here, have you? It is a baby's cradle made of finely woven tree bark..."

"No, I haven't. Sorry."

"Oh, such a misfortune... How far could it have drifted, I wonder..."

"I'll keep an eye out for it, though, if that'll make you feel better." Midna offered, trying to cheer up the older woman.

"My thanks to you, Midna." When she turned to leave, Midna heard something like... It sounded like... One of the monkeys that lived in the forest. Looking around confirmed her thoughts. A monkey was on a rock in a secluded area of the pond, bouncing up and down while holding something above its head. Upon climbing back up to where Jaggle was and jumping to the farthest rock platform, she could see that the thing it was holding was Uli's Cradle!

Picking some grass that was there, she whispered to the hawk when it landed on her arm, "Get the cradle back. It's special to a friend." After these words, she released the hawk. Following it's master's orders, it swooped over to the monkey and snatched the cradle with it's talons, causing the monkey to cover it's head and whimper in fear. When the hawk came back, it dropped the cradle into Midna's waiting hands. Smiling in satisfaction, she jumped down to the ground and went back to the pregnant woman. "Uli, I found it."

"You really went through the trouble of finding it for me? My thanks to you! Oh, that reminds me! There is something I am supposed to give to you. Do you think you could carry that cradle and come with me back to my house?"

"Sure." Midna walked beside Uli as they began their slow descent up the small hill to her house. Once there, the orange-haired youth placed the cradle on the front porch. "One cradle recovered."

Chuckling a little at her son's friend's antics, she smiled happily. "My thanks to you, again, Midna."

"Now, what were you supposed to give me?"

"Yes, yes... I had nearly forgotten... I am supposed to give you this... Here you go." On the porch, Uli bent down gingerly to pick up the fishing rod that Colin and Rusl worked hard on. It was a simple fishing rod with a bobber. The rod itself was colored yellow, black, and white, while the bobber was red, yellow, and green. "It is a little... Unpolished. Colin made it under the instruction of his father."

"It's wonderful. I'll give my regards to your son." With that, she took the rod and went to the area where Sera's cat was. Casting it into the water, she waited for a fish to bite. She didn't have to wait very long. Once she felt a pull on the rod, she started reeling the fish in. When she pulled the fish out, she recorded it's name and size in her new fish journal that came with the rod. After she released the fish, she casted again and caught a fish the same as the last one.

But when she tried to let this one go, the cat took it's chance and pounced on it while it was still flapping around on land, running back to Sera's shop. Putting the rod away (somehow), she jumped into the water and swam across to the general store, grabbing the Rupees in the tree before she entered, she could tell that Sera was in a much better mood than half an hour ago.

"Oh, my, Midna! You simply MUST hear this!" the shopkeeper motioned said farmhand over eagerly. "Just take a look! My little kitty Brynn came back!" At the name, Midna couldn't help but smile. Brynn was her father's name. He was a courageous man in the Ordon village. Everyone was sad when he died in a fight with monsters in the Faron Woods, especially Midna since she lost her mother when she was born. To remember him by, Sera named her cat after Midna's father. That simple thing warmed the youth's heart. Shaking out of her thoughts, she realized that Sera was still speaking. "And he brought a fish back with him. He was worried about me being angry! Ohhh, just look... Isn't he so cute, the way he laps up that milk?"

"Yeah, he is." Midna said as she stroked Brynn's soft fur.

"Say, m'dear, why don't you have some too! I'm in a good mood, so it's on the house today!"

"Thanks!" Gladly, she took the offered bottle half-full of milk before turning back to her. "By the way..."

"Oh, don't worry, you don't have to return the empty bottle, m'dear." Sera interrupted. "You can reuse it; you know, put something else in it. Recycling is a very important thing, m'dear! I'm sure **you'd** never do anything of the sort, but kids these days toss things out like the whole world was disposable! It's criminal!"

Sweat dropping a little, Midna replied, "Umm... That's not what I was going to ask you..."

"Oh... How silly of me! Did you want to buy something?"

"I would, actually. Can I have that slingshot?"

"You may." Taking down the requested item, she Sera added, "That will be thirty Rupees."

After setting the money on the counter, Midna took the slingshot, thanked the shopkeeper, and left to head back to her house. Just as she got into the small clearing surrounding her house, Rusl came up to her. "Ah, just in time, Midna! I just delivered something to your room!"

"Thanks Rusl. I got the fishing rod from your wife."

"Yes, I can see. Colin will be pleased. And it works better than you would think, right?"

"Yeah. It works like a charm. My regards to both of your handy work."

"Thank you. Well, have a good one..." At Midna's nod, Rusl continued on his way. As Midna was about to climb the ladder to her house, she noticed a small spider near the top. When she saw it, she took a step back. She didn't really like spiders. Acting on instinct, she pulled out the slingshot, took aim, and fired at the little critter. The pellet hit it's mark and the spider fell down, dead. After putting the slingshot away, the climbed up the ladder and opened the door. Inside, there was a chest, sitting in the middle of the floor. When she opened it, she saw her wooden sword was fixed! Thanking Rusl in her mind, she strapped it onto her back and went back outside.

Talo noticed the slingshot strapped to her side and instantly got excited. "Midna has a slingshot! Whoa!"

Beth joined in praising the eldest of all the youths. "Wow! You had enough money to buy it, Midna?"

"Hey! Do you think you can try it out for us?" Talo asked eagerly, pretty close to begging.

Sighing patiently, Midna nodded, causing the children to cheer in excitement. Several minutes later, targets and two scarecrows were in the surrounding area.

"Preparations complete." Malo stated professionally.

"Okay, wow, this is great! Let's see how powerful that slingshot is! Hit the targets AND the scarecrows!"

"Fine, if it will satisfy you." Midna replied with another as she pulled out the slingshot. Pulling back, she took aim and fired, destroying the first target.

"Whoa! You hit it! You hit it!" Talo and Beth shouted happily.

"I thought you weren't interested, Beth..." Malo commented softly.

Smirking in satisfaction, she destroyed the rest of the targets and the scarecrows with ease.

"Gee, you really are amazing, Midna!" Talo commented with a smile.

"See? I told you girls were useful." Beth said smugly, causing the boys to glare her. But she ignored them as she went on. "Then again, Brynn was your father. He taught you everything he knew. Bows and arrows, swords, you name it!"

Scratching the back of her head in embarrassment, Midna chuckled a bit. "He didn't teach me **everything** he knew..."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Talo said in sudden realization. "You've gotta teach us how to use a sword, too! Seriously! Lately, these monkeys have been coming out of the woods and playing tricks on us! We want to get them GOOD!"

"I don't know..." Midna replied in an unsure tone. "I'm not sure your parents will be pleased to know..."

"Oh, come on! Please?"

Sighing, the farmhand resigned herself to her fate. "Fine."

" YES! Thanks, Midna!" After fixing one of the scarecrows, Talo said while swinging his play sword around a bit, "All right! First off, we wanna see **that** move!"

"What move? Be specific." Midna said, playing around with him a little.

"The slice, of course!"

Pulling out her wooden sword, she slashed the scarecrow across the middle. "That was a horizontal slice. There's also vertical, but let's move on. Next?"

"Oh, oh! How about the stab?" Beth suggested.

Nodding, she grabbed the handle with both hands and charged at the dummy, effectively stabbing it.

"Wow, Midna! Just amazing!"

"Come on, you guys!" the eldest of the four sighed, adrenalin now pumping through her veins. "You're making this too easy for me! Give me a challenge!"

"Alright, then." Beth said with a confident smirk. "How about the spin attack?"

" Now, **that's** more like it!" Stepping one bare foot forward, she did a sort of pirouette, swinging the sword around in a circle.

"Ooh, WOW! Thanks, Midna!" Beth replied with a smile. "I'm sorry you have to waste your time with these little brats when you must be tired from doing all the important stuff you do!"

"Hey, wait!" Talo interjected before Midna could leave. "You've gotta show us the jump attack before you go!"

"Fine. If I must." Suddenly, she jumped into the air and brought her sword down on the abused scarecrow's head, smashing it to pieces.

"WHOA!" All of the children were amazed, causing Midna to smirk in satisfaction.

"Thanks, Midna!" Talo said in an appreciated tone. "So, uh, I... I think I get it... Kinda... Maybe not..."

"That's alright. I didn't get it at first either. Just practice." Midna replied in a slightly comforting tone.

"So this means that anytime one of those naughty monkeys shows up..." Talo never got the chance to finish his sentence, because he saw a monkey out of the corner of his eye! "C'MERE, YOU!" he shouted as he ran after it, Malo and Beth following him out of concern.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I feel that I must apologize for this long awaited chapter. Blame procrastination... And school. But, now that I graduated (high school, just so we're clear), I won't need to worry too much about being buried by other stuff. Thank you all that have added this story to your favorites or story watch or whatever.**

**To ****ninjafaceify****: I'm glad you like it. Yes, Link is gonna be a Twili, just like Midna in the game. And I will use that Force to my advantage; I am a Jedi (no joke, I made a Jedi character).**

**To ****TloZFantic44****: I'm very glad you like that idea. Although I'm pretty sure that someone has done it before. And you're getting your wish sooner than you think. :)**

**And to ****HolyRiot11****: Thank you for giving me that kick in the right direction. Midna will most likely meet Link in the next chapter.**

**And, just so I didn't make this clear: I do ****not**** own Legend of Zelda, nor Hylian Midna and Twili Link. This is purely fan made; I make to profit off this story.**

Midna sighed as she rubbed an itch on her forehead before going over to her horse. "We might want to go after them. Who knows what trouble they'll get into." Said horse whinied in agreement as the woman mounted her.

Just as she was about to ride off, Colin, who was standing at the gate to the village, turned to them, a mask of worry on his face. "Everyone went into the woods. I wonder if they're okay."

Midna smiled reassuringly at the boy as she spoke. "I'll send Epona back here if something happens. Relax." And with that, she spurred the mare into a canter, following the path that the children took. But, already she could see Beth, doubled over and gripping her knees for support. "Beth!" Midna called out as she approached her. "Are you alright?"

After giving a nod in response, said girl looked up at the other, speaking between pants, "Talo... And Malo... Went chasing like... Crazy people... After that monkey... I can't... Keep up with... Those two..."

Midna nodded slightly, her expression serious. "Just rest here. I'll get the boys." Without waiting for a response, she continued. She didn't get very far, though, for at the enterance to the spring, Malo laid sprawled on the ground. He must have tripped on the hem of his clothes. Taking care not to trample the poor boy, she stopped next to him. "Malo?"

Her only response was the little toddler pointing across the bridge. "They went that way... The rest is up to you, Midna." Nodding once, she spurred Epona yet again forward, crossing over the bridge. Faron Woods, the area where monsters teemed, relentlessly anxious for the blood of unlucky and unprepared travelers, passed her by as she jumped the fence, went past the spring, and through the tunnel. At the end, she came to a fork; an open gate in front of her and a path to her right.

A sign lay between the fork, resting against the rock wall. Sliding off Epona's back, she approached the sign and read it. An arrow pointing to the gate read _Forest Temple Path_. Under that, it said _It's pitch-dark ahead! Parties interested in going forward must first go this way._ It had another arrow pointing to the right. Apparently, it was signed by Coro.

Whoever that was, he must be able to give her something to light the way for her. As she aprroached a house in the clearing, she saw a man sitting on a stump, a pot over a burned out firepit. His hair largely resembled a bird's nest, if the fact that birds were actually making themselves at home in his hair gave any indication. A large pot was tied to a rope and draped over his shoulder. The birds flew away as she came over, alerting the man, whom she assumed to be Coro, of her. "Woah! An Ordonian! Hey, girl!" he greeted with a wave.

Midna waved back, albiet a little awkwardly. "Hey. Umm... I need to get into the forest."

Coro suddenly dropped his friendly smile at her request. "You do?" He asked, recieving a nod soon after. "Listen, I don't think you should be wandering around the forest without a lantern. Just because it's daylight, doesn't mean it's safe. There are a ton of caves and dank spots that get pretty dark, even in the middle of the day. Here. Go on, girl. Take this." He reached back behind his stump and pulled out a lantern, handing in to Midna, who gladly took it. "See, I sell lantern oil here. I'm trying to drum up sales by giving away free lanterns! It's a business tactic, girl!"

"I have a name, sir." She said, pacience wearing thin. "It's Midna."

"Midna?" He replied inquisitively, rubbing his chin in thought. "Nice name. I'll remember that. Anyway, whenever you run out of oil, you come see me to get it refilled."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." After giving him a small wave, she went back to the gate leading to the forest. But, when she got there, she found Epona rearing and neighing franticly. The reason for her freaking out? There was a Deku Baba planted at the enterance. Taking her sword off her back, she swung at the carniverous plant, stunning it so she could cut the stem. The bud fell and shriveled, now becoming harmless.

Seizing Epona's reins, she calmed the horse down, whispering gently to her. When she was sure that her precious horse was calm, she traveled up the path, only to be stopped short. A play wooden sword lay on the ground, abandoned. A cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. It was Talo's. Grabbing the stick, she rushed back to Epona, stuffed it in her saddlebag, and slapped her croup with her palm. This caused her to run towards the village. Colin would see her, find the item in her bag and alert his father... Hopefully.

Taking out her new lanturn, Midna turned the knob on the side that turned the flame on. With her lanturn on one hand and her wooden sword in the other, she ventured into the cave. True to Coro's word, her eyes were assulted by darkness that would have been dangerous if she had not had the lanturn. The first thing she noticed on the cave was a post about as tall as her collarbone. It looked like there was tinder in it. Holding her light to the post, it caught fire within half a second. The area became a bit birghter with the added light.

"Well, that makes things a bit easier." She said to herself before moving on. The cave wasn't too bad; a few keese and rats, a Deku Baba, some spider webs (she shuddered at the thought of how big the spider had to be to make such a large web). As she went through the cave, she lit all the lamp posts she could find. Who knows, she might need them later. Finally, when she was the end of the tunnel, she blew out the flame and put the lantern away, hanging it on her belt.

Now came the true Faron Woods. The trees towered over Midna as she walked out of the tunnel. The past people of Ordon planned on expanding to this section of wood. A few kids from out beyond Ordon actually tried to build a fort. But the Bokoblins would have none of that. They attacked any who came near to them, even killed a few of the inexperienced. No one ventures into these woods unless well equipped. And, even then, it's dangerous.

After turning her lamp off, Midna took a few seconds of reprieve to consult her mental map of the area. There was an exit close by here to the north and another exit to the east. If Talo was going to be anyway here, he would most likely be to the east. But that exit had a gate and, surprisingly, Bokoblins have smart moments to lock the gate. She'd have to find the key. "I'll start to the north." She said aloud. "Bokoblins may be smart enough to lock a gate, but not smart enough to hide a key."

Her trek north lead her to a small tunnel, guarded by keese. Not even taking time to stop, she just swung her sword, knocking the winged monsters to the side and into dust. It was dark inside, but just as she was about to take out her lantern again, she was jumped on by a few more keese and a bokoblin. Spinning on the balls of her bare feet, she hit them all with a spin attack, killing the keese and knocking the bokoblin back. While he was down, she quickly took out her lamp and turned it on. Now able to see, she finished the blue-skinned monster with a quick one-two combo. Sighing in refief, she brushed herself off and inspected the chest.

Inside was a small key, perfect for unlocking small locks such as for gates. Smiling, she pocketed the key before lighting both lamp posts. Although, before she could leave, a light formed on top of the ledge above the small chest, becoming a big chest. "What the...?" she said out loud before climbing up the ledge to open the new chest. Inside, there was a section of jeweled heart surrounded by gold. She had heard tell of these 'pieces of heart' and that, when five pieces are collected, the collecter gets stronger.

Midna wasn't quite sure whether to believe it or not, but she might as well see if she could find more. Taking her piece of heart, she leaped off the ledge and left, turning the lanturn back off allong the way. The sun was already high above her head when she came back into the light. That meant it was noon. "I should hurry if Jaggle and Pergie want to see their son alive." So hurry she did; swinging her sword at any monster that comes near, she reached the gate and unlocked it before sliding the key behind the sign.

As she ran, she commited everything she saw to memory. To her left as she got closer to the forest temple, there was a shop run by a bird with a large poof of feathers on top of it's head. It reminded her of Coro for some reason. The closer she got, the more she heard Talo's cries of fear. At the enterance of the forest temple (which looked to be built into a giant tree), she saw Talo and the monkey trapped in a cage of wood. And they were guarded by two blue bokoblins.

As soon as they noticed her, she tightened her leg muscles, sword at the ready. Then, leaped with a feirce battle cry, bringing her sword down on one, sending it tumbling back. As that one recovered, she took care of it's friend with four precice swings. The other didn't have a chance to hit her, because she lunged forward, sword clasped in both hands. It peirced the creature's body viciously, causing it to fall, dead before it touched the ground.

With a sigh, she turned to the cage. "Talo, keep your head down." The minute she stood next to the cage with her sword arm out, he understood. Pushing the monkey's head down, he bowed his head. And not a moment too soon. Preforming a deadly pirouette (as she occasionally liked to call it), she cut the bars of the cage. The monkey began jumping up and down, clapping her hands (she could tell it's gender by the flower behind her ear) as she gave Talo her hand.

By the time that they got out of the forest, twilight had fallen, bathing the surroundings in golden orange. Midna had to fight their way past other monsters who definately weren't going to make things easy for them. All along the way, Talo walked with his head hanging low, as if he was guilty. Before they could make it to the village, Talo had stopped and looked up at his savior, hands clasped. "If you hadn't come, Midna... Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably!"

Crossing her arms, she adoped the stern parent persona as she spoke. "I hope you learned something today, Talo."

Nodding meekly, he replied with a small "Yes, ma'am." After another moment of silence, he said, "She's actually a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together."

"Well, that was nice of her." She agreed before starting to the village, only to get stopped by Talo's hand grasping her skirt. "What's up?"

"Umm... Midna... You're not going to mention this to my dad, are you?"

"And may I ask why not?"

"He's always telling me to never, EVER go into the forest 'cause it's dangerous."

"And for good reason. Those monsters could make very quick work of you if you're not careful."

"So you really can't tell him! Really! You have to promise!"

Midna sighed when he said this. Colin most likely already told his dad when Epona got back to the village. And word spreads like wildfire in a village as small as theirs. So it would be too late to promise such a thing. But, to satisfy him, she nodded, causing the boy to smile and run off back to the village. Scratching the back of her head, she began to follow him when someone called her name. "Midna!" Turning to the direction of the voice, she saw Rusl walk from the direction of Coro's house.

"Ah! Rusl! About time!" She said in a tone that suggest irritation.

Now standing in front of her, he said, "My son told me that Talo had disappeared into the woods and had not returned. I came as soon as I heard."

"Yeah, I can tell that you rushed." she replied in a sarcastic voice, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you."

"Mm-hmm... Sure..."

"Tell me, Midna, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately? I feel... Uneasy about what may lie in wait."

For the first time since she came out of the forest, she dropped her snarky attitude. "You too, huh?"

Rusl only replied with a nod before moving on. "Anyway, Midna, tomorrow is the day. You will be departing for Hyrule." When he recieved her determined nod, he smiled with a chuckle. "I think it is a good thing I have given you this luck! And return safely! If you are lucky, you may even get to meet Princess Zelda! Ha ha ha!"

Midna chuckled a little at this. "Yeah, wouldn't THAT be something?" After that chuckle, they turned and headed back to the village.

Morning found the orange-haired youth at the ranch, sitting with her back to a rock wall surrounding it, gazing at the sky pensively. Today was the day. The day she was to head for Hyrule castle. She could keep her eyes closed to sleep last night. Yawning a bit tiredly, she was about to cup her hands behind her head and catch a few extra z's when Fado came running. "Heeeey! Midna!"

Sighing in slight irritation, she mumbled "Not a moments peace." before standing, a professional smile on her lips.

"So, almost time for you to get goin', huh, Midna?"

"Yup."

"How's about we finish up early today, bud?"

"Sounds good to me." Turning to her left, she plucked the horsehoe grass and called Epona, who came from the gate before approaching her master.

When mounting her, Fado spoke again. "Okay, then! Let's get started!"

Upon his call of 'GO!', Epona began cantering back and forth behind the group of twenty goats, moving from the fence to the cliff face then back again. This method forced all the goats towards the barn at once. Unfortunately, a few goats swerved away when she got too close. Because of this, it took a little longer than she wanted. Dispite this, she still finished at a reasonable time. "Hoo, boy, but y'all can herd! That was one minute and fifty one seconds faster than usual!"

This caused her to whistle. "Nice."

"I'll say! Well, that about wraps 'er up for today, so how's about y'all head on over to the mayors place?"

"Right. See ya later, Fado!" Spurring her horse on, Midna jumped the gate and headed back into town. Taking her time down the trail, she spotted Ilia on the path ahead, who grew excited at the sight of her friend before running up to her side.

"Hey, Midna! You excited?"

"So excited I could hardly sleep."

Ilia laughed at this in good-hearted nature. "I'd feel the same if it were me. Anyway, I have something I wanted to give to you."

Said orange-haired youth raised an eyebrow at this. "Really? What?"

Before she could get an answer, Bo came up onto the path ahead. "Oh, done heardin' for the day, Midna?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, nice work. Now, come here and I'll explain the delivery." Dismounting Epona, the young female swordsman approached the mayor, who took to wrapping an arm around her shoulder and turning away from his daughter petting Epona fondly. "The royal gift Rusl told you about is ready, so you should begin you trip to Hyrule castle." He spoke in a slightly hushed tone.

"I've been ready since this morning." she replied in the same tone as he, now quite sure why they're whispering.

"Good, you'll need that spirit for what's ahead. Now, the royal family requested this gift specifically, so it's real special. It would be... Bad... if the representitive of Ordon were to be late for such an occasion, you get me, laddie?"

"Clear as crystal, sir."

While they were talking, Midna could hear Ilia behind them speaking to Epona. "The path before you is a long one, my sweet horse... But please bear Midna safely along it." When she thought she was going to step away, she heard her hum of confusion. "Wait... What's this?" Both Bo and Midna turned when they heard this, confused themselves. What they saw was Ilia kneeling next to the horse, her hand over a bright red infected injury on her chestnut (that's actually part of a horse, I kid you not). This is when the blond girl turned a glare to Midna. "What's happened? She's injured, isn't she?"

Midna, completely confused, tried to rack her brain to see how she got that. Then, she remembered. The Boko Baba must have nicked her leg yestrerday in the Faron Woods. Upon the realization, she winced. "Hey, listen, Ilia..." She started to explain.

But she would hear none of it; getting in her face, she shouted, "Midna! How could you! You were pushing Epona too hard again! I bet you hurt her leg jumping fences, didn't you!"

Fortunately, Bo tried to be the peace-maker between the two women. "Now, now, Ilia. There's no need to get so hot with her..."

Unfortunately, Ilia turned her anger onto her own father at his words. "FATHER! How can you be so easy on her? You're the MAYOR! You should start acting like one!" Bo simply sighed and bowned his head, as did Midna. When Ilia turned back to Epona, the two opened one eye and looked at each other in a comical fashion. But, their heads shot up when Ilia bagan speaking again, this time to the horse. "It'll be alright, Epona. I'll take you to the forest spring right now. Once we sooth you in the spirit's spring, you'll fell better in no time."

Bo was the one to speak first, taking a few steps after his daughter. "W-wait! Ilia! Why, without Epona... The royal gift won't get delivered in time!" When this didn't stop her, he slumped with a sigh. "Oh, this won't do..."

Running a hand throught her hair, Midna heaved a heavy sigh herself. "Too true. But she's got the wrong idea..."

Rubbing the back of his bald head, Bo said with yet another sigh (so much sighing! ARG!), "What's a father to do... There's no way for you to deliver out town's gift without Epona..."

Just as they were about to start planning, Fado's voice came from up the hill. "WHOOOOOOAAAA! A GOAT GOT LOOSE!" This caused their heads to whip around to the ranch. "IT'S HEADING FOR TOWN! SOMEBODY STOP IT!" Sure to his word, one of the Ordon goats began running towards town. Midna, planting her feet firmly on the ground, stood in its way until it was about to barrel her over. When it was right on top of her, she grabbed its horns, which pushed her back until it stopped as well. Twisting the head to the side, she soon threw the goat back, knocking it to the ground.

Dusting her hands off, she smiled at this little accomplishment. "Sorry 'bout that, Midna," Bo began kindly, "But thanks to you, that goat didn't get away."

"I'm sure you would have done the same if I wern't here." she replied modestly, gesturing to the mayor with one hand while the other rested on her hip.

Chuckling good-heartedly, he responded back, "You're too kind to this old man."

"I'd rather not think that. You were like a father to me when my own died, sir."

"Huh... I suppose so... Well, anyway... You'd better get goin' and figure out what you're gonna do about Epona. Maybe you can head up to where Ilia is and see if she won't give the horse back."

Flashing him a quick salute, she replied "Yes, sir." before running off after her two friends. However, in front of her house, Colin looked like he was sulking or something while Talo and Malo were blocking the exit of the village and Beth was standing next to the ladder to her house. "Hey, Colin. What's up?" She greeted.

At her voice, he looked up at her. "... Midna, are you going to see Ilia?"

"Sure am. She took Epona away to the spring to treat a leg injury."

"Well, maybe it's just me..." At this, he looked over his shoulder at the two brothers. "But those guys don't normally let people through..."

Midna looked over at them when he pointed them out. "No, it's not just you."

"Um, Midna, you think... We can go see Ilia together?"

"Yeah, sure. Follow my lead." As soon as she says this, he fell in her steps until they approached the boys.

Talo was the first to speak. "Hey, we've been waiting for you, y'know, Midna. Yesterday was soooo much fun! Yeah, chasing that monkey was great! I was just telling Malo about how we wanted to show it to him, but we let it go instead!"

"Oh, YOU didn't get caught, Talo?" said toddler replied in his small barely heard voice.

Ignoring his brother, Talo caught Colin hiding behind Midna. "Oh! Colin!" He said in a tone that suggested disdain. "Way to spoil everything by telling your dad. Nice job."

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Malo added in his own scornful tone. "We got scolded by our dad something awful! I thought I was never going to end..."

Midna interrupted by putting a hand on the brunette boy's shoulder. "That's enough, Talo." She said firmly. "Colin did no wrong by telling his father. He only thought about your well-being."

Pouting at her scolding, he tactfully changed the subject. "I bet you're trying to see Ilia, aren't you? Well, sorry, but I'm not letting you pass until you give me your wooden sword."

Furrowing her brow, she looked at him like he was nuts. "And why not?"

"Doesn't matter. Just let me borrow it." When she gave him her 'get real' face, he added, "I promise that I'll give it back to you when you leave."

Not really believing his word, but having no other choice, she sighed before taking her sword off her back and handing it to him. "YESSS!" He cried in victory, which made Midna believe that she wasn't going to give it back. "With this thing... I'll show 'em!" And with that, he ran over to the training dummies.

Pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation, she was about to move on when Colin grasped her hand. "Midna."

Glancing down at him, she replied, "Yeah? What's up?"

"... Thanks. For defending me back there. Those guys are always teasing me. What's so fun about swinging somgthing like that around? I hate it... It's scary..."

"It has to be done, though."

"Yeah... But when I grow up, I'm gonna be just like you, Midna! I don't wanna learn about swords or anything, but could you teach me how to ride a horse sometime?"

"Yeah, of course." Upon her promise, Colin smiled before releasing Midna's hand and running ahead. And, with one last look at the other children, she followed after him. But, when she reached the gate to the spring, it was shut. Growling in annoyance, she grasped the bars of the gate and shook roughly. "Dammit, Ilia!"

The blond girl turned when her name was said, a scowl set firmly on her visage. "If you came to take Epona back, you can FORGET it! Why don't you think about what you've done for a change! I won't open the gate until you change your attitude!" That being said, she turned back to the horse and continued stroking her coat.

"Ilia, you don't know what happened yesterday..." Colin, from the other side of the gate with Ilia, said, trying to reason with her before turning back to Midna. "Listen, I don't know if she'll listen to me, but let me try to explain about Talo and the monkey, okay? You crawl in here through the tunnel in back while I do, Midna."

The anger faded from her face when he mentioned the tunnel, causing her to hit her forehead against the gate in stupidity. She totally forgot about the tunnel! It was used as an anternate entrance/exit when locking the gate up from the inside. Only she and the children could fit through that small space though, so it was rarely used, thus vegetation began to grow over the hole. After recovering from her 'I feel stupid' episode, she nodded and ran off to the tunnel.

After clearing away some of the grass and vines with her hands (she reached to her back upon instinct only to realize the sword wasn't there), she gathered her skirt in the front and tied it in a knot. Once finished, she got down on her knees and crawled into the tunnel. By the time she reached the end, she heard Ilia say, "I had no idea... I hadn't heard the details about Talo's capture... But Colin..."

It sounded like he got through to her, finally! Midna took this opprotunity to speak while approaching. "Epona tried to fight a Boko Baba while I was getting a lantern. I didn't even see the wound until this morning."

The sound of her voice startled the girl slightly as she looked over at her before moving to Epona. However, the horse nickered happily upon seeing her. This caused Ilia to stop before smiling sadly at her. "So you still prefer your master over me, huh, Epona?" After a moment's pause, she looked over at the red-head farmhand. "Don't worry about your horse, Midna. Fortunately, it looks like the injury isn't too serious. You two can go together."

A heavy sigh from the woman issued forth. "Good. As long as we got that settled."

"But, Midna..." Ilia began before continuing on without waiting for a reply. "Can you atleast promise me this? No matter what happens on your journey, don't try anything... Out of your league. Please."

"Ha! Baby, there's nothing out of my league!" It took her a moment to realize what she said and when she did, she looked embarrassed. "... I didn't mean to call you baby."

Ilia just laughed at her friend good-naturedly. "Just come home safely, alright, silly?"

Nodding once, she gave her a reassuring smile. "Alright. I promise. Anyway, you wanted to give me something?"

"Oh, right! It's..." Just as she started dugging through the pouch strapped to her leg, rumbling was heard. Rumbling that caused Epona to neigh in fright. Suddenly, the gates were bashed open, revealing creatures riding giant boars. Epona reared with yet another frightened neigh as the boars charged into the spring. Colin and Ilia tried to run away from them, but one of the riders strung an arrow to his bow and fired. The flying arrow hit the blond girl in her side, causing her to fall, something flying from her hand.

"No! Ilia!" Midna cried as she went to run to her friends, only to get a club to the back of her head by yet another bulblin. She must have been out for a while, because when she next awoke, the boar riding creatures were gone, as were her friends and her horse. Sitting up, she gripped her head until the spinning stopped before franticly looking around the spring. She was about to run out the gate when something shiny in the water caught her eye. Bending down, she picked up the item. A horsehoe-shaped charm with six holes on either side rested innocently on her palm, strung on a leather thong and decorated with blue, red, and yellow beads*.

"Oh, goddess..." she whispered before running out the gate, putting Ilia's Charm around her neck for safe keeping. As she crossed the bridge, she noticed that the distinctive orange of twilight began to overtake the sky. "But that doesn't make any sense! It's still in the morning hours!" She said to herself. But, too soon she found out what was causing the glow. A dark wall with strange orange symbols blocked the way to Faron Woods.

Before she could react, a black arm reached out from the wall, wrapping its bony fingers around her chest tightly. Midna screamed in fear as she was yanked clean off her feet and into the dark wall. But her screams grew louder at the sight of the creature the arm belonged to. All black, it appeared to have a shield for a face, black tentecles growing out of the front and back, resembling a beard and hair (respectively). There were also red glowing marks on its belly and back. Try as she might, no matter how much she kicked and struggled, the thing refused to release her.

Unbeknownst to her, the symbol of the Triforce on the back of her right hand began to glow, even more so for the triangle at the top**. The being noticed this and went to touch it, but flinched back and threw Midna away from itself. She landed hard, but hardly noticed it apart from the pain all over her body. Every beat of her heart was agony, pounding against her ribs like a caged bird. Her Triforce mark felt like it might as well be a branding iron. As she tried to stand, the forest, surrounded by the colors of twilight, blurred together until all she could make out were the darks and the lights. With one final suffering scream, she blacked out.

**Author's Note: AND DONE! Jeeze, took me long enough! But I feel hugely accomplished, now that this is done. Anyway, the stars I stuck at the end of the sentences mean things I'm going to say here.**

***: I know that the player doesn't get the Horse Call until, like, _before the seventh temple_, but I felt that it deserves an early cameo. Don't worry, Midna isn't going to be using it until much later; for now, it's an accessory.**

****: I also know that Ganondork supposed to be the one in posession of the Triforce of Power, but I read a fanfiction on here, called "Legend of Midna: the Call of Twilight", that said that Midna was in possession of that piece. Don't ask me how, but my theroy is that when Ganon died, Midna absorbed this power from him, which was enough to return her to normal. So, I thought that I'd carry that over to here. Thank you, Aperion Sol for the insperation, even if it was unintentional.**

**But, because of that thought, that means that Ganon won't have the triforce of power... OR will he? Tell me what you guys think in the comments. Much obliged!**

**Ryuu-Kistune-Onna1 signing out!**


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